


The Queen of Leoin Bhuí

by Ephiniane



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternate Universe - Thieves, Angst, Arranged Marriage, Awkward Flirting, Bad Puns, Blood and Injury, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Smut, F/F, Flirting, Forced Marriage, Forced Relationship, Goatman is in here sorry, Grumpy Yang, Happy Ending?, Little bit of Yangst, Secret Relationship, Slow Burn, Stabbing, Thief AU, Thieves Guild, Yang-centric, Yangst, royal au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:16:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23809741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ephiniane/pseuds/Ephiniane
Summary: A Royalty AU in which Yang is soon-to-be sovereign to someone she does not romantically or sexually like and neither of them are happy about it. And too Yang's luck, she finds out she's way more interested in women and one woman in particular catches her eye... a thief.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Adam Taurus (Past-Mentioned), Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Lie Ren/Nora Valkyrie, Lie Ren/Yang Xiao Long, Lie Ren/Yang Xiao Long (Past-Mentioned), Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	1. The Lady of Leoin Bhuí

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the song “The Queen of Argyll”!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang's present thoughts and a story of the past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay before begin making any rare pair shippers happy (love you guys -- I feel your pain), this isn't a Sunflowyr fanfic (unfortunately. They're so cute together though... fav rare pair ship fr). Yang and Blake do end up together and Ren and Nora also end up together. Maybe one day I'll make a Sunflowyr AU, who knows ;)

* * *

Gentlemen it is me duty

  
To inform you of one beauty...

* * *

The Princess sighed at the past mention of marriage. Gently, the blonde took off her crown, holding the seemingly delicate jewelry in her hands. It was gold, one of the many signs of The Xiao Long Family, small roses encrusted as jewels powdered every side of the weightless headpiece. The sister's crowns had been changed quickly after the divorce of Raven Branwen, meaning the king had repudiated the political alliance. The divorce had instigated a war between Leoin Bhuí and Seòl nan Eun. 

A banner of the family crest hung on her wall, the fabric tight like a carpet. The banner itself could never be used as one's blanket as the cloth would be itchy and rough when connected to the skin. The crest itself was decorative, two lions panning both sides, half their faces shown. Stitched sweetgrass came up from the corners. The stitching around the entire banner looked fantastically new compared to the rest, roses lining around the surface of the emblem. 

Yang hummed, tracing the sides of it. The thing reeked of dust. Ever since Summer, everything had been roses. Not that the soon-to-be Queen minded. _Oum, even her thoughts went to being Queen._ Yang would've enjoyed the delight of being monarch, but she detested being forced to marry a man for the sake of the crown. The blonde groaned at the idea. Sure, she liked Lie Ren, as a person, but as a husband? Not likely. They were good tea-time buddies, but both felt creeped out when Taiyang suggested it like they had much of a choice. It was far past the due date for Ren to get married, but he had little trouble from his Kingdom's people as he was, well, a man. Not expected to wield an heir any time soon.

And Yang, while she loved kids, she wasn't exactly confident in her 'motherly instinct' to protect her. I mean, have you seen how Ruby turned out? She outwardly sighed. _Well, you did the best you could in that situation. You can't grieve over your loss of childhood forever, Yang._

She flopped onto her bed, the cushiness of it sinking into her bones as she hears one by one of her vertebrae slam back in place. _Y'know, I thought sitting straight meant a strong back, but here we are._ Yang felt stretched out, mentally. She felt exhausted, wanted to hibernate for millennia. The Noble listened to the white noise of her room, walls thick enough she couldn't hear the outside. 

Her right arm reached out to her bedside table, grabbing a book. Of course, one of her all-time favorites as a kid and one that landed her in serious trouble, "A Queen Without Duty and Order" by Waylid Sarar, a famous author. His books had been passed around from Kingdom to Dynasty. Yang had snuck this book into the castle when she was about eight. It had been given to her by a drunkard who told her it was a gift from Oum himself. The child didn't believe any of that nonsense but took the book home anyway, practically bouncing with excitement at a book from the outside world. The small blonde child quickly passed the thrones without The King and his new Queen noticing. 

Princess as she was, the now twenty-year-old snorted at the memory, not being able to believe that after all these years no one had found out about the mysterious book. She flipped lazily, but with utter carefulness, through the pages, laughing at the silly illustrations. 

Hours had passed and the woman couldn't think of a time she didn't feel bliss when reading a good book. Yang had never been shown to the public as the intelligent type, nor graceful for that matter. But she couldn't care less than when she was in a fantasy world, trapped in the author's words. She had barely noticed as time slipped from her grasp, the afternoon sun turning to dusk. The Princess had been relieved when there were no more interruptions but a sudden ache in her stomach made her realize that she had skipped dinner. 

Setting the book back to its rightful place, Yang stepped out of her room and down the unneededly long staircase. Of course, she could have the maids cook something up for her, but It would be rude to wake a lady up at this hour, no? She smiled and made her way to the kitchen, not exactly making herself a particularly healthy meal...

* * *

All the roses in the garden

  
They bow and ask her pardon...

* * *

The woman stood at her lonesome, examining the deceased Queen's garden. Summer and the castle's maids fixed the tarnished weed-festered garden with roses and red berry bushes. Tall statues placed every-which-way made of white marble. Yang loved the garden, not only for its beauty but for how lovingly it was put together. It still had the essence of Summer in it, she supposed. 

  
The creaking of the palace doors exit made her head turn. Ruby grinned and waved at her sister. "Admiring the garden as well, Ruby?" The blonde gave a small smile as the younger woman sat by her on the marble bench. She shrugged "I guess it's pretty," Ruby paused "I'm mainly here for the koi." Yang chuckled, turning towards the faux river that separated the two gardens, rainbow koi swimming around. "Understandable." 

  
There was a sort of tension in the are, not aggression mind you, but the red-tipped Princess could see her sister's distress. "What's got you riding a bummer?" She asked, hands folding over her chest. The older woman gave a noncommital drone, playing idly with her fingers. Yang had recently forced herself into the personality of a noble, as was required if to become queen. She hated being so distant with her sister. Usual nicknames drifted away from her, unable to hold onto any longer. 

  
"Nothing much, just duties." Her shoulders hesitated to slump. 

  
Ruby's knee bounced worriedly. "But I thought the maids were organizing the wedding? What do you have to worry about?" 

  
Blonde curls jumped as Yang lifted herself off the bench, pacing. She stopped in front of her sister. "I'm not exactly happy about being married off to someone I don't know, Ruby." She sighed, rubbing her arm. A nervous tick that she had inhabited throughout the years. For Oum's sake, she barely knew what this guy looked like! Sure, they showed Yang a painted portrait, but that wasn't much to go off of, was it.   
"Yeah, but it's your job to marry. You're the eldest." Yang suppressed the growl in her throat.

  
"You don't understand, Ruby!" She sighed dramatically, tapping her chin in what seemed to be a gesture of thought. "What if I died? You would be expected to marry. What if you had to marry my husband weeks or months after I died? What if I had kids, you would be expected to raise them! Or if I didn't you'd be held accountable to have-"

  
Ruby waved her hands around. "Okay, okay, I get it!" She paused. "But you wouldn't die this young, right?" Yang glared pointedly at her sibling.   
The red-tipped warrior-in-training mumbled under her breath. "Right, the disease. Forgot about that." 

  
A disease passed through The Xiao Long-Rose territory two years prior and had decided to stubbornly stay. Of course, it started as any normal farm-famine, than led to people coughing in the streets, then the death rates went up. Yang rubbed her forehead when she felt a headache come on. Her sister hadn't been trained to be an heir or for that matter a Queen. An heir and a spare, right?

  
Recently, the Xiao Long's had allied with the Sneachda Family. This meant more wealth imported to their kingdom, as well as important exchange. Yang had learned much during the rather boring meeting.

  
The sun had started to set, colors of pink and yellow met. Sunsets here had always been very pretty, one of the many advantages of being a noble. Yang stretched, groaning at the sensation. If the King had seen that, he'd be disappointed. Tai had always let his children play around freely until it came time for marriage. For Yang, training to be "the perfect wife" had come at around twelve. It was utterly boring and the poor girl couldn't stay still in a throne for two minutes even if she wanted to.

  
She sighed, turning to her sister. "I'm going to get ready for bed. Coming?" The younger princess shook her head and continued watching the koi. Yang opened the garden door, staring at her sister before she closed the door. She would do everything in her power to ensure that Ruby didn't have to take up space as Queen. Even if Yang would never be able to do what she loved, her sister still had her freedom.  
That was enough for her... for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me if it's an incorrect translation but if you wish to know, "Leoin Bhuí" is suppose to mean "Yellow Lions", but I've also heard its "Leòmhainn Bhuidhe." "Seòl nan Eun" Is meant to say "Sail of Birds" (Y'know... Raven and Qrow?) Also "Sneachda" is suppose to mean "Snow" and surprisingly it also translates "Schnee" to the same thing so I used that lol.  
> Hope you enjoyed the first chapter! I have 4 more outlined, but I assure you there'll be much more (5 chapters isn't even enough to fit this story).


	2. A Thieves Dirk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter follows Ms. Blake Belladonna and her friends, enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya, so since this whole story is based on the song "The Queen of Argyll" and Argyll is in Scotland, I've decided to add some 18th Century Scottish slang/words.  
> Please keep in mind that I'm learning more about 17-18th Scotland so I WILL get things incorrect.  
> -  
> WARNING BEFORE YOU READ THE CHAPTER: There is murder in this chapter and it's well... descriptive. Unfortunately, it isn't the murder of Goatman, we'll get to that later ;). But Goatman (Adam Taurus) is in this - BEWARE.

* * *

Through a part of our dear country

  
Known for beauty and for style

* * *

The young Belladonna grumbled. The air was cold and sharp when Rememnant took to night. An unpleasant feeling borrowed its way into her body. It wasn't the same, but it felt familiar. That distance cold. A pestilence had tunneled itself in the soil and the townsfolks lungs, coughing blood and mucus. And yet the royal family chose to ignore the suffering of their townspeople. She bitterly pinned her dirk into the wooden stall, metaphorical vomit threatening to rise in her throat.

When it turned dark, the Kingdom of Vale became a war zone. People would often hide out in alleys, waiting to rob their next victim. Recently, there was a series of killings in Vale. A new serial killer, it seemed. All of them killed the same gruesome, disgusting, horrific way. Yesterday, a five-year-old boy had wandered away from his mother. He had stumbled upon the third victim, stomach cut open with guts tightened around their waist like a sick corset.

A shuffle behind the woman made her freeze, her hand cramping next to the belts that hung loosely around her waist. The exact belt that held her dirk, old and strong. Her fingers gently tapped the bog-wood handle.  _ Remember your training, Blake _ . 

Turning on her heel, Blake faced the perpetrator. Gold eyes wide, she sighed a shuddery breath. Not one of relief, per se. The bull Faunus she was so familiar with stood in front of her, stern face and harsh eyes behind a mask. Blake gave a raw smile. 

A gruff huff came from the man. "You need to be more careful, Blake. And  _ don't _ think of running off again." He growled, taking the woman's wrist painfully. A possessive tone in his voice, actions rough and unneeded. Blake nodded, keeping her head down. Her ears failed not to press against her skull. Timidly following the man.

Adam walked in front of her. They had been scouting areas for the White Fang, so far unsuccessful. Adam was never pleased when their plans were foiled. It never ended well for her. Blake fidgeted with her daggers slightly aged handle. She felt stuck. Like a sticky glue held her arms and ankles, never letting go. 

A cold feeling drank into her bones, encircling her like some foul Grimm. She remained reserved on the way 'home,' and even as she opened the flap to the tent, the iciness took hold of her washing out any feasible warmth that the place could provide her. 

* * *

In the place of noble thinkers

  
Of scholars and great drinkers

* * *

The black-haired woman shivered at the booming noise of the tavern. Gloomy yellow lights lit up the wooden establishment. "Deathstalker's Poison, huh?" Ilia shrugged, pulling her sleeve. "C'mon, it's not that bad." She gave a low chuckle, opening the shitty bar door. The wood floor creaked under them when they entered.

Bars weren't really Blakes thing, but she had gotten used to them. The loud commotion was somewhat welcome, compared to the cold, hostile, and distant camp the White Fang was currently holding. 

A blonde-haired monkey Faunus waved over the two women, grinning boldly. "Hey, guys! Ready to have some fun?" Ilia shouted a "hell yeah!" in response, a very pretty barmaid handing her mead. She gave a cheer, downing the red liquid.

Blake tuned out her friends, staring at one large man in the corner. His build looked similar to her fathers, dark-skinned and hairy. It was clear by the lines on his face, he had seen some shit. Sudden yellowish-brown eyes flashed at her own and she turned away. He did not look happy.

Loud footsteps approached the threes table. 

A sudden slam on the crappy wooden furniture made the ground shake. A snarl had immediately appeared on her face, electric eyes staring at her. A woman, long and slender, approached them calmy. She coughed, gaining the wary attention of her mates. Laying down a map and a coin sack, she gave a toothy grin. "Mind telling me, where could I find Adam Taurus." 

Blake froze at the name, giving the two a dirty look. Then, an idea popped into her head. "Alright, well, what do you want to know,  _ sassenach _ ?"

Red lips pulled into a smirk, manicured nails pushing the small bag towards the local. "Everything."

Sun whined at the idea of packing. "Oh, c'mon  _ mo charaid _ , it really isn't that far" Ilia stated, throwing a shirt at the blonde boy. Blake chuckled at their child-esque actions. He groaned, flopping on the tattered couch. 

"Are you sure we should be going out into the middle of who-the-fuck-knows with two random strangers who look like they could easily kill us? Nobody would find our bodies, Blake! Least look for some missing Faunus!" He waved his hands around inarticulately. 

Blake glimpsed over her shoulder at him, hands busy packing clothes for the excursion. "Don't worry Sun, I'm sure your masculinity will protect us." Her cold and serious façade fell quickly as she bit her lip, stifling a snort. 

A loud laugh from Ilia came from the other side of the room, then an "oh shit-," and a crash. 

"I'm okay..." strained a voice.

She sighed and shook her head, grabbing her newly cleaned and sharpened  _ biodag _ .

Sure, she didn't trust these people, but like hell, she'd give up that amount of money. Especially if it caused her ex-fiance trouble. Stretching, she turned off a corner lamp, the glow from half of the room gone. 

"You two. Bed. We have work early in the morning." 

"More like dawn," Ilia huffed, plopping down on the temporary bed. 

The sun had set long by now, but Blake enjoyed the peace. Truly, it was one of the few times she had to herself. The cat Faunus smiled, fingertips tracing the leather book her mother had handed her before her departure. It was one of the few things she had of her home, but lovely nonetheless. The story was about a princess and a thief and how they fell in love. Cheesy, yes. Sweet? Yes. 

Hours passed and the stars eventually shone. Blake placed the book by her side, turning in for the night. Molten gold eyes drifted off into a dreamless slumber, happy to listen to the quiet grasshoppers outside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed, lovelies!  
> I used a lot of Scots Gaelic words so here are the translations (tell me if I got something wrong!)
> 
> Dirk = a specific type of thrusting dagger (my fav ♡♡♡)  
> Sassenach = Outsider/Not from Scotland/Rude word for an Englishman/woman  
> Mo charaid = My friend  
> Biodag = dagger!


End file.
